Housing Unhinged

The M.A.DI. Home is an unfoldable modular living unit and it is taking the tiny house world by storm. No, it isn’t on wheels. No, it isn’t really an ADU. And no, it isn’t readily available in the United States….yet!

Using an unfolding technique, the M.A.DI. (an acronym for modulo abitativod ispiegabile or separating housing module) construction system is designed primarily for earthquake-resistant buildings for residential, leisure and hospitality. In addition, M.A.DI. homes can be used to establish temporary villages for sports, fairs and first aid facilities in case of natural disasters. Designed by Italian architect Renato Vidal, the prefabricated foldable house takes less than a day to install once on site.

M.A.DI. is one of the most revolutionary housing solutions on the market today. It is a virtual shapeshifter, growing, changing, and moving, as needed. In fact, it is capable of being customizable in its arrangement. It combines a net-zero interior complete with eco-friendly wood. The owner of such a house essentially has a temporary house (think tiny house on wheels without wheels but still mobile) that can be customized in the factory according to dimensions and materials. The actual building is turnkey in just two days from start to finish (after a typical 30-day design and wait time frame) which means severely reduced labor costs and fossil fuel usage.

The M.A.DI home comes in several sizes, including a 290 sq.ft. tiny house, either a 495 sq.ft. or 603 sq.ft. small house, or a 753 sq.ft. or 904 sq.ft. standard house. Each home has two levels and comes equipped with a proportionate kitchen, a dining area, and a bathroom on the ground floor. The bedroom(s) are on the upper floor.

Each home features galvanized steel frames designed to support the home’s opening and closing movement. Polyurethane foam is used to waterproof the home while also allowing for thermal insulation. The walls have high-density rockwool insulation and the window frames can be installed in either PVC or aluminum. Once on-site, the home unfolds up and out. The roof pitches, interior flooring, interior and exterior walls, and a few other odds and ends come on mounting board for extremely easy assembly. M.A.DI suggests the entire “build” process should take three able-bodied workers six to seven hours to complete!